25 Easy Thanksgiving Crafts For Toddlers To Keep Them Engaged

Thanksgiving has a lot more to it beyond turkeys. It’s that day of the year to celebrate gratitude, love, and respect with your family, where everyone gets to bond together. In this post, we share some fun Thanksgiving crafts for toddlers that will keep them entertained and aware of why the festival is celebrated. These crafts are easy to do, and the little ones will enjoy their stint as an artist. Read on to see the materials and preparation required for you to arrange the craft kit for your kids.

Easy Thanksgiving Crafts For Toddlers:

1. Teepi:

You Will Need:

• Scissors
• Tape
• 3 drinking straws or straight twigs
• Markers, stickers, paint for decoration

How To:

1. Make a cone from the brown paper.

2. Now tell your little ones to decorate the teepi anyway, he likes. He can use stickers, glitters, or marker for decorating.

3. Apply glue to the sides of the straw. Cut the top of the cone and insert the straws from the top hole.

4. Make a small triangle at the end of the cone.

5. Measure the diameter of the cone and cut a circle.

6. Now tell the toddler to stick the circle at the base of the cone. The Teepi is ready.

2. Fingerprint Place Cards:

You Will Need:

• Place cards
• Paint
• Shallow tray
• Paint brush
• Paper towel
• Markers

How To:

1. Put blob of paint on the craft tray.

2. Have your child dip his thumb into the paint and brush the paint on his thumb.

3. Now tell them to place the thumb carefully on the side of the card. Repeat using various colors.

4. Now you use the markers or pen to bring life to the prints. You can make pineapple, acorns, turkey and pumpkin with the thumbprints.

It is one of the loveliest thanksgiving crafts for preschoolers.

3. Easy Paper Plate Pilgrim Craft:

You Will Need:

• Paper plate
• Printer
• Crayons
• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Peach, black, red, orange and yellow paint
• Bits of yarn

How To:

1. Draw and cut out a pilgrim hat template or download the template. Paint the hat in black color and the ring in orange. The buckle can be orange or black.

2. Paint the paper plate in peach. You can even allow the kid to mix and match to make a unique skin color. Leave the plate to dry.

3. Make the face of the pilgrim on the plate. Either let the your little ones draw or you draw for them.

4. Stick the yarn on top of the plate, right above the eyes.

5. Now affix the hat on top of the plate, just on top of the thread. Your paper pilgrim is ready.

4. Pilgrim Doorknob Hangers:

You Will Need:

• Scotch tape or glue
• Scissors
• Printer
• Paper
• Color

How To:

1. Print out the template of the pilgrim man or woman and cut it into pieces. You can even draw the image one the scrap paper.

2. If you’re using a template, then you need to glue the doorknob together. You must assist your little one for assembling.

3. Stick the arms on the sides of the body shape.

4. Stick the face onto the body.

5. Now affix the shoes and belt or apron.

A great thanksgiving craft for toddlers.

5. Coffee Can Pilgrim Hat:

You Will Need:

• Coffee can with lid
• Yellow and black construction paper
• Black and orange paint
• Scissors
• Paintbrushes
• Glue

How To:

1. Paint the bottom inch of the can in orange. Leave it aside to dry.

2. Now put on the lid, paint the lid and can in black. Make sure you leave the orange part. Leave it to dry.

3. Cut a circle from black construction paper. We would recommend you to use a plate to trace the circle.

4. Now glue the circle to the can to make the hat brim.

5. Cut a rounded corner square from the yellow construction paper. Make sure it is slightly larger in width than the orange ring.

6. Now draw and cut a small square of the black construction paper. Cut a small C-shaped notch from the black square.

7. Stick the black square upon the yellow square. It will make the buckle. Now attach the buckle in the center of the orange strip.

6. Fingerprint Turkey Craft:

You Will Need:

• Brown finger paint
• Red, yellow and orange finger paint
• Scrap of cardboard or anything hard to act like a pallet
• Black marker
• Paper or card stock

How To:

1. Squeeze the brown, red and orange finger paint onto the cardboard, spaced apart from each other.

2. Make your little one stamp his index finger onto the orange and red paint and tell him to make the arch as the turkey’s tail.

3. Help them make a second arch around the first one using the pinkie finger.

4. Now tell them to use their thumb and stamp a brown print in the center of the arch.

5. When your child has finished stamping his fingerprint, you use a marker to draw the beak, eyes and feet of the turkey.

7. Give Thanks Craft:

You Will Need:

• Printer
• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Colors
• Pen

How To:

1. Print out a turkey template and color if required.

2. Now cut out the pieces. In this, your toddlers may need assistance.

3. Ask your little one what he is thankful for and write on one of the pieces of the tail.

4. Ask everyone in the family to write what they are thankful for on the tail and their name at the back.

Assembling:

1. We would suggest you to do the assembling.

2. Glue the turkey’s head on the body and wobbler under the beak.

3. Stick the wings onto the body and tail pieces behind the body.

4. Now stick the ‘Give Thanks’ sign on the front of the body.

8. Turkey Paper Craft:

You Will Need:

• Scissors
• Color
• Glue
• Paper
• Brass tacks

How To:

1. Draw a turkey on the craft paper or print out the template of your choice. Make them color the turkey any way they like. Now cut out the template pieces.

2. Now glue the turkey in this order:

3. Stick the feet on the body.

4. Affix the eyes on the body.

5. Stick the wattle under the beak.

6. Glue the beak onto the body

7. Now attach the wings to the body.

8. Finally, stick the tail feathers behind the body.

9. Cornucopia Paper Craft:

You Will Need:

• Printer
• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Cardboard
• White felt

How To:

1. Print out the cornucopia template of your choice. Make sure it has fruits like pears, pumpkin, apples, nuts and leaves.

2. If you are printing out black and white templates, then color the image for them. You can also let your little preschooler color the templates.

3. Cut out the pieces. You need to this do yourself. Or you can let your young one cut the larger pieces like those of pumpkin and cornucopia.

4. Cover the cardboard with white felt. Now have your kid glue the cornucopia basket. Stick the fruits like apple, pear, and acorn at the opening of the cornucopia. Stick the pumpkin template near the basket. Now stick the leaves around the cornucopia to decorate.

It is a very interesting thanksgiving craft for preschoolers.

10. Stuffed Pumpkin Craft:

You Will Need:

• Paper
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Finger paint in orange and green
• Cotton or shredded paper
• String

How To:

1. Print out two copies of black and white pumpkin temple. Do not cut it out.

2. Tell the kids to immerse their finger in the paint and paint the templates. Allow the paint to dry.

3. Cut out the templates and glue or staple the edges. Leave an opening at the top.

4. Now stuff the pineapple with shredded paper or cotton. Your child may need your help in this.

5. Glue and close the opening of the pumpkin.

6. Affix a short string to the top to hang from the ceiling.

11. Pasta Necklace:

You Will Need:

• Green, yellow and orange dyed pasta
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Tape
• Toothpick

How To:

1. Cut the length of the string that you would like the necklace to be. Make sure it is slightly longer than what you need.

2. Now tape the one end of the yarn to the table.

3. Tape a toothpick at the other end of the thread. It will help the child to string through the pasta.

4. Have the toddlers thread the yard through the pasta. Make sure they use alternating colors.

5. Tie the ends of the yarn and your necklace is ready.

12. Mayflower:

You Will Need:

• Small butter box
• Brown paint
• Scissors
• Paintbrushes
• Drinking straws
• Clay
• Paper
• Black marker

How To:

1. Cut off the top of the box to get an open, rectangular box.

2. Have your little one paint the box brown and leave it to dry.

3. Now you pull one end of the box a bit. It will form the front point of the boat.

4. Help your kid cut a few paper squares to make the sails. Make sure they are of different sizes.

5. Make a hole at the top and bottom of the paper squares and thread a drinking straw through the holes. You can do this take yourself and make the children do it. Push the bottom and the top of the sail towards the center. It will give a proper shape of the sail.

6. Tell your child to make a small clay ball and place at the bottom of the boat.

7. Now pierce the straw into the clay.

8. Write “Mayflower” on the boat and you are done.

13. Native American Headband:

You Will Need:

• White, lightweight cardboard or poster board
• Yellow, red and orange construction paper
• Tape or Glue
• Scissors

How To:

1. Cut out the headband out of the poster board. The headband should be slightly larger than your toddler’s head.

2. Now draw and cut out the feathers. It should be one out of each construction paper.

3. Now tell your child to tape or glue the feather in the center of the headband.

4. Tape the ends of the headband so that it fits around your kid’s head. Trim off the extra board.

14. Turkey Hand Puppets:

You Will Need:

• 2 gloves of any color of your choice
• 2 googly eyes
• A small piece red card stock
• 1 yellow or orange pipe cleaner
• Scissors
• Colorful feathers
• Glue

How To:

1. Have your kid glue the googly eyes on the thumbs of the gloves. Leave it aside to dry.

2. Now bent one inch of the pipe cleaner to form the beak and cut off. Repeat the same with the other pipe cleaner.

3. Glue the ‘beaks’ to the thumbs, just underneath the googly eyes. You either do it yourself or let your child do it. Leave it to dry.

4. Draw and cut out 2 ½-inch teardrop shapes from the red card stock paper.

5. Glue the teardrop shapes to the gloves, just below the beak.

6. Glue the colorful feathers to the four feathers of each of the gloves.

7. Your little turkeys are now ready for the puppet show.

15. Dried Bean Corn Craft:

You Will Need:

• Corn template
• Green and yellow construction paper
• Scissors
• White glue
• Mixed, dried beans

How To:

1. Print out the copy of the templates and cut it out into pieces. You can trace the template on the construction paper on the green and yellow paper or let your children color the ‘corn’. Make sure he colors the husk in green and maize in yellow.

2. Glue the corn on the husk piece.

3. Cover the corn with a layer of glue. Spread it evenly with your finger.

4. Now have the toddlers add beans to the corn. You can also help them create a unique pattern.

16. Pilgrim Hat Headband:

You Will Need:

• Construction paper in black, gray and yellow
• White lightweight cardboard or poster board or
• Scissors
• Tape
• Glue

How To:

1. Cut out the headband out of the poster board. It should be slightly larger than your kid’s head.

2. Cut out the hat shape from the black construction paper.

3. Now cut a 1 ½ inch wide strip from the gray construction paper.

4. Have your kid stick the strip to the edge of the hat. Trim the edges so that it matches the angle of the hat.

5. Cut 2 inches square from the yellow construction paper. Cut out the center of the square and discard.

6. Now glue the square in the center of the gray strip.

7. Now have your child stick the hat to the headband.

8. Stick the headband to fit around your kid’s head. Trim off the excess.

17. T For Turkey:

You Will Need:

• Red, blue, orange, yellow and brown construction paper
• Glue stick
• Googly eyes
• Scissors

How To:

1. Trace and draw a broad ‘T’ on the brown construction paper. The ‘T’ should be at least 5 inches in length.

2. Make 6-inch large feathers on the orange, red and yellow construction paper. Cut out the piece. Toddlers won’t be able to do it themselves, so you cut it for them.

3. Now cut a peanut shape from the red construction paper and small, 1-inch triangles from the orange construction paper. The peanut shape will be the gobble, and the orange triangle will be the beak and feet.

4. Now lay the feathers on the blue paper and lightly trace the top. It will be the template for the kids to follow.

5. Now have your kid position and stick the feathers on the construction paper.

6. Have them glue the letter ‘T’ on top of the feather, in the center.

7. Affix the beak, gobbler and eyes on the letter ‘T’.

Your child would love making this thanksgiving art for preschoolers.

18. Turkey Centerpiece:

You Will Need:

• Small to medium sized pumpkin
• Yellow, red, orange, brown, green, construction paper
• Googly eyes
• 5 wooden skewers
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Pencil

How To:

1. Draw and cut out 2, 6-inch feathers from each feather. There should be ten feathers in total.

2. Tape a skewer in the center of each feather and stick another feather of the same color on it. Repeat the same method with the remaining feathers.

3. Have your child fan out all the feathers while you tape them together at the bottom.

4. Affix the feathers at the back of the pumpkin.

5. Now draw and cut out the wings from the brown construction paper and attach to the pumpkin sides.

6. Now draw and cut out the beak and head. You have to cut out 2 ‘heads’,

7. Just like the feathers, you have to take a skewer between the feathers.

8. Stick the beak and googly eyes on the turkey’s head.

9. Now you have to draw and cut out the feet. Cut out the two long strips from the orange construction paper and fold it.

10. Affix the feet at the end of the legs and then attach the legs to the bottom of the pumpkin.

19. Nature Notecard:

You Will Need:

• Construction paper in red or black
• Round or oval leaf
• Orange poster paint
• Paintbrush

How To:

1. Search the backyard with your little one for a round or oval fall leaf.

2. Cut the construction paper in a rectangular and fold it in half.

3. Now have your tot paint one side of the leaf with orange poster paint.

4. Now help your child press the paper on one-half of the construction paper.

5. Then you remove the paper carefully.

6. With the small paintbrush, have your child make a stem.

20. Painted Pumpkin:

You Will Need:

• Medium to small sized pumpkins
• Masking tape or stick-on dots
• Acrylic paint in blue or black

How To:

1. Have your tot press the stick on dots on the pumpkin. They can put as much as they want. If you don’t like circles, then cut out shapes out of the masking tape in any pattern you like and tell the children to paste on the pumpkins.

2. Now instruct your tot to paint the entire pumpkin in black or dry. You are free to add finishing touches to the pumpkin. Leave it aside to dry.

3. Now have your child carefully remove the tape. If they are finding it difficult, you remove the tape for them. Your graphic art is ready.

21. Paper Plate Turkey:

You Will Need:

• Red, yellow and orange construction paper
• 1 small paper plate
• 2 googly eyes
• Paintbrush
• Scissors
• Glue
• Brown paint
• Tape

How To:

1. Have your child paint the paper plate with brown paint.

2. Now cut out 3 feather shapes out of the construction paper.

3. Cut a small peanut from the red construction paper. It’s for the waddle.

4. Cut a triangle from the orange paper for the beak. Use the same construction paper for cutting out the feet shape.

5. Have your tot stick the feathers at the back of the paper plate.

6. Now stick the eyes, beak, waddle and feet on the front of the plate.

22. Thanksgiving Hand Wreath:

You Will Need:

• Orange, yellow, red, and brown construction paper
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Glue stick

How To:

1. Trace the tiny hands of toddler six times on each colored paper. Now cut out the handprint.

2. For assembling, apply glue to the palms of each handprint. Tell your kid to stick the handprint in alternate colors at the palms. Make sure the fingers are pointed outside of the wreath.

3. Cut a long piece of ribbon and tie it in a bow. Attach the bow to the top of the wreath.

Isn’t it a wonderful thanksgiving craft ideas for preschoolers?

23. Turkey Wall Hanging:

You Will Need:

• Small paper plate
• Marker or pencil
• Glue
• Dried beans

How To:

1. Have your little one trace his hand with fingers spread out on the paper plate. You can also use construction paper for the craft.

2. Now tell him to make the eye and beak of the turkey on the thumb and feet at the bottom of the hand.

3. Now tell your tot to decorate the turkey with dried beans. He can use different colored beans for each finger.

24. Apple Pie Craft:

You Will Need:

• Red, gray, white, brown construction paper
• Scissors
• Black marker
• Glue stick

How To:

1. Draw and cut out 1 brown crust, 2 red circles, 1 gray pan and 2 white circles.

2. Have your child decorate the pie crust with the black marker.

3. Now place the crust on top of the pan. Fold it on the top and glue again.

4. Now stick the white circle onto the red circle and cut into half.

5. Tell your little one to make the apple seeds with the black marker.

6. Now stick the apples onto the pie tin, just behind the pie crust.

25. Thanksgiving Place Card:

You Will Need:

• Orange and white paper
• Scissors
• Glue stuck
• Black marker
• Fall leaves

How To:

1. Fold the orange paper and cut it to form a 6-inch rectangle.

2. Repeat the same with the white paper, but cut it slightly smaller.

3. Have your child stick the white paper on the orange paper.

4. Write your tot’s name on the card in bold.

5. Now tell him to glue the leaves on the sides.

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